Dealing With Immortals
by AClassyLady
Summary: Terry's problems start growing as he starts meeting things that are quite un-normal. Please R&R. Chapter 2 is now up!
1. Chapter One

My first story ever put up on the net! I'm so excited! This is my first   
Batman Beyond 'fic, featuring Terry's problems growing as he starts meeting   
things that are quite un-normal. Please R&R!  
Dealing With Immortals  
By: Kichara  
  
A/N: Hey, everyone! This is my very first fanfic to post on   
fanfiction.net, although I've actually been writing for 3 years. I'm   
finally going to get something on the 'Net! Go fanfiction.net! So anyway,   
please please, PLEASE review, for good or bad. It's all welcome, thank you.   
Rated PG-13 for violence and language.  
  
"As one of the greatest pieces of all time...Mister McGinnis, are we boring   
you?"  
  
A sharp poke in his side made Terry sit up straight, blinking stupidly at   
Ms. Martin, who pursed her lips at him.  
  
"Uh, um, sorry." He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. Ms. Martin   
wrinkled her nose, then went back to her notes.  
  
"We'll be watching the movie based on the novel during the next two class   
periods, and then having a test on it." The bell rang and if the teacher   
had anything else to say, it was lost in the noise of students getting up,   
talking and gathering their books, walking noisily out the door. Max   
grabbed Terry's arm, snatching his notebook from the desk and pulled him out   
of the classroom.  
  
"Woah, woah, what's the rush?" He asked, shaking his head to try to wash   
all the drowsiness from his brain.  
  
"Ms. Martin had an evil look pinned on you, and if you were the last person   
in there, you'd wind up being late for your next class, along with a   
detention slip." Max explained smoothly, handing Terry his book and leading   
him down the hall.  
  
He yawned, then offered her a smile. "Thanks. And for waking me up, too."  
  
"No problem. Rough night?"  
  
"No kidding. I didn't get in until about 3."  
  
Max winced sympathetically. "Ouch. That old man's gotta stop keeping you   
up all night, you know that?"  
  
"Tell me about it. Well, I guess it's not really his fault. Somebody's   
gotta keep the crime down, and it's not like he can do it. He just shows me   
the way to go."  
  
They stopped at a fork in the hallway, and Max fixed his hair, which has   
sticking up in the front with a smirk. "So what happened?"  
  
He shrugged, continuing somewhat nonchalantly. "Oh, nothing too big: two   
robberies, five muggings, and I had to stop a gang of Jokers from trashing a   
building."  
  
"Same old, same old, huh? Are you going to meet me and Dana after school to   
see the game?"  
  
Terry winced. "No, sorry. I've gotta do homework, then head over to   
Wayne's."  
  
"I though that was supposed to be a night sort of thing."  
  
He smirked, bending down to whisper, "Batman's a 24-hours a day, 7 days a   
week, and 365 days a year sort of job."  
  
"Geez, with those hours, you outta be one of those guys running a big   
company like Microsoft."  
  
"Nah, those computer geeks have got it easy." He remarked, standing up   
straight and stuffing his hands in his pockets, notebook tucked in his   
elbow.  
  
"Well, at least you're a hell of a lot more fashionable when it comes to   
work attire, right?" She slapped Terry's shoulder, sending him a saucy   
wink.  
  
The warning bell rang and he shrugged, "And that makes up for everything."   
He turned, looking over his shoulder at her, "I'll call you tonight."  
  
"Alright. See you later!" Max turned as well, heading in the opposite   
direction towards her last class.  
  
Terry broke into a light jog, not wanting to be late and made it to his seat   
just as the bell rang. Dana, who had been saving the seat for him, smiled.  
  
"Just made it again, I see. What kept you? "Nothing, just talking to Max."  
  
Dana bit her lip, but didn't say anything else, as the teacher, Mr. Camp,   
had stepped up to the podium and was clearing his throat. "If you'll all   
open up program A15 on your computers, you'll see our subject for today, the   
Roman Empire."  
  
Terry winced. History wasn't his best or favorite subject, and he glanced   
up at the wall, prepared to count down the minutes on the clock. Dana   
nudged his ankle, motioning with her head at his computer screen. On the   
middle of it was a message from her, " are you going to watch the game after   
school??"  
  
With a quick glance at Mr. Camp, who was lecturing at his podium, fully in   
his element. Even though Terry didn't enjoy the subject all that much, he   
had to have a certain amount of respect for the man, not that many teachers   
got into their subject that much these days. Looking back at his computer,   
he quickly typed, "no sorry. gotta go to work."  
  
Dana didn't respond, except to close off the link and sit back in her class,   
sticking out her lip in an almost child-like pout.  
  
The class went by faster than Terry had thought it would have, and before he   
knew it, the bell had rung and Mr. Camp was calling out their homework   
assignments. Terry and Dana walked out together, not saying anything. As   
they walked down the hall, Terry bit his lip thoughtfully, feeling that   
there was something he should say, but unsure of what it was exactly. As   
they reached the school's front doors, he saw Max waiting out front. He   
stopped Dana, kissing her and then walking off. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Max walked up. "Hey girl, ready for the game?"  
  
Dana shrugged. "I guess so. Who're we playing again?"  
  
"The Panthers."  
  
"Sounds ominous." Her lips curved in a little smile.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" Max asked, stopping by the school's fountain.  
  
Dana sat down, brushing back a piece of hair from her face. "I guess so. I   
was just hoping that Terry would be going with us."  
  
Max sat down next to her. "Well, I guess that's how things are when you've   
got work, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." A wind whipped up, and Dana wrapped her arms around   
herself, wishing she had worn a jacket today. If Terry had been there, he   
would have given her his.  
  
"It's getting cold earlier this year than usual, huh?" Max asked, standing   
up and stuffing her hands in her pockets.  
  
"Yeah." Dana stood up, arms still wrapped around her, jealous of Max's more   
practical outfit.  
  
"Well, c'mon, let's head over to the stadium before you freeze, alright   
girl?"  
  
Dana's smile was more genuine this time. "Alright, let's go."  
  
* * *  
"Hey, anyone home?" Terry tucked his keys back into his pocket, listening   
for someone as he shut the door. Upon being met with silence, he shrugged,   
sighing as he headed for the kitchen. As he went to get something from the   
fridge, a note taped to the outside caught his attention, "Terry- I had to   
go take your brother to his friend's soccer game. Make yourself dinner,   
I'll see you later. -Mom"  
  
"Well, I hope to see you too." Terry remarked to the note as he opened the   
refridgerater. While making a sandwich, he tried to remember the last time   
he'd spent more than 10 minutes with his mother. He winced as he realized   
it'd been at least a couple of weeks. The schedule was pretty much the same   
for both their lives, Terry would get in sometime between two and three in   
the morning, get a couple of hours sleep, wake up and groggily move through   
the house, see his mother as she left for work, go to school, come home and   
then usually go over to the Wayne Estate, for lots of fun crime fighting.   
On the weekends, he would usually try to spend his free time with Dana.   
Grabbing his laptop off of the kitchen counter, Terry opened it up and   
turned it on. As the machine booted up, he put away the sandwich stuff and   
sat down at the table to eat. After doing his homework, which had been   
e-mailed to him, he sat back and stretched, saving his work and shutting off   
the computer.  
  
Making sure the house was locked up, Terry headed back out, locking the door   
behind him. He rode the subway over to Wayne Estate, quiet the whole way.   
As he walked up the long driveway, a bitter wind whipped up, making him wake   
up from his reverie. 'Man, it's getting cold. I thought it'd stay warm at   
least till the end of the month.' He thought to himself, tugging his jacket   
closer around himself. A loud barking made him hurry up to the gate, where   
Bruce's dog was waiting. "Hey mutt, "He said affectionately, rubbing the   
dog behind his ears, then letting the animal lead him inside.  
  
Bruce was the computer, as always, looking intently up at the screen as   
Terry came in. "Y'know, I've come to a startling revelation." The young man   
said, making Bruce unglue his eyes from the big screen to look at him, hands   
locked under chin.  
  
"You're using big words. Must be important." He commented.  
  
Terry wrinkled up his nose. "Ha ha. I was just thinking that people trying   
out for the super hero business should really wait until they're past high   
school. Makes things a lot less complicated."  
  
"Life is still complicated, even more so after then. You're having problems   
again? With what?"  
  
Terry sighed, sitting up on the long table in the room. " All sorts of   
stuff. School, Dana, Mom. Not to mention that whole lack of sleep thing."  
  
Bruce turned the chair back again, once again studying the screen as he gave   
his answer. "Can't say I can help you out all that much. Let's just hope   
it'll be a peaceful night."  
  
"Yeah right. You and I both." Terry took off his shirt, going to change   
into the batsuit.  
  
* * *  
"So who won the game?" Terry asked.  
  
Max, on the other line, answered. "They did. Sucks, but what are you gonna   
do?"  
  
"Got me. Was Dana okay with me not being there?" He was inside the Bat   
Plane, roaming over the city, an eye kept out for crimes as he talked to Max   
over the com.  
  
"Yeah, actually. She looks sort of upset at first, but I think she's okay."  
  
He sighed, looping around a tall industrial building as he did. "Hopefully,   
I'll get to hang out with her this weekend. Is anything good playing now?"  
  
"Ummm, there's that martial arts flick, Dragon Child, and a new romance out   
called Forever More." Max said, idly picking lint off of the couch.  
  
"Dragon Child?"  
  
"Don't even think about it buddy. You wanna take Dana out, your best choice   
is the love story."  
  
"Ugh, chick flick." Under the mask, Terry grimaced.  
  
"That's how dates go. Maybe she'll take you to see the more violent thing   
next week, provided you give her a good time this time."  
  
"Sounds good." A quick motion below caught his eye, and Terry cut off   
whatever his friend was about to say. "Max, something's up. I'll talk to   
you later, alright?" With that, he opened the plane's lower hatch, gliding   
down to see what was happening in the alley below.  
  
"Stop it! Leave me alone!" A slender woman, about in her thirties, plain   
with short brown hair and glasses, was clutching her purse to her chest and   
backing away from a hulking figure.  
  
The figure, a bulky and over-muscled thug, smirked he trapped her against   
the wall. "Sorry, lady. Just hand over the bag." She shrunk against the   
wall, terrified, and as he grabbed the front of her shirt, a cruel grin   
twisting his features. Her next scream was cut short, as Batman suddenly   
appeared, ramming into the man as he fell from above them. The thug   
grunted, falling back to the other side of the wall and slamming into the   
opposite wall of the alley. Batman caught the shaking woman before she fell   
onto the concrete. Setting her up straight, he commanded, "Go on, run. Get   
the police." in a deep voice.  
  
Her face was grateful, and she hurried to obey his wishes, hurrying out of   
the darkened alley. Batman turned to the other man, who had regained his   
footing and was regarding the other with an ugly snarl on his face. "You   
son of a bitch, I'm gonna kick your ass!" He threw himself at the other,   
but the hero was agile, his slender figure easily dodging out of the way.   
As he jumped from the path of the fist, he threw a well-aimed punch of his   
own. It hit the thug squarely between the eyes, and with a groan, the huge   
figure slumped to the ground, knocked out. Pulling out a pair of handcuffs,   
Terry secured the other, going to deposit him to the police, whom he could   
hear now, the sirens blaring.  
  
As he stepped out into the streets, two blue police cars drove up, and   
several figures in uniform emerged from them. The handcuffed man was handed   
over without a word, and Batman was quick to retreat back into the alley,   
watching as the two vehicles left. "Easy stuff." He remarked to himself,   
making a mental note to check what time it was when he got back in the Bat   
plane. Walking through the darkened alley, he pressed a button on his suit   
that called his mode of transportation back to him. While doing so, his   
feet scuffled along something on the dirty floor of the passageway, almost   
tripping him.  
  
Looking down, startled, he was surprised to see the form of a large animal.   
"What the hell?" Squatting down, Batman saw it was a mutt of some kind,   
huge and looking to be a mix between a German Shepherd, golden retriever,   
and something else and was apparently dead. Even through the mask, he could   
spell its rotting stench, although it didn't look all that old. Blood   
matted the thick yellow and brown fur, and the poor animal's eyes were   
glazed, it's tongue lolling out of its mouth onto the pavement. The body   
looked dehydrated, which Terry thought was really strange, since there   
really wasn't a lack of water in the city available for strays, it being a   
rainy time of the year.  
  
"Shit, this is weird." He scowled, not sure of what to do. The roar of the   
Bat plane overhead snapped him out of his reverie and he stood up, not   
wanting to touch the obviously diseased animal. Flying up, he climbed in   
through the hatch, which closed after he got inside. Checking the clock,   
which read 2:14AM, he decided it was late enough to call it a night   
(morning), and headed back to Wayne Manor, one eye kept open for crimes   
along the way.  
* * *  
Well, that's the end of Chapter 1, I'm so proud! Please review and tell me   
what you think. Thanks again! A little note: Ms. Martin is actually one of   
my teachers, a woman devoid of all teaching skills and only shows us the   
movies based on the books, and then gives us the tests based on the books,   
somehow expecting us to know what we're doing when we take these tests. . 


	2. Chapter Two

Dealing With Immortals  
Chapter 2  
By: Kichara  
  
Terry yawned, stifling the action with his hand and blinked to wake up better. The sway and hum of the subway wasn't helping him stay awake. "Now approaching stop K12, Chester Street." A mechanical female voice sounded over the intercom. Terry straightened, holding the pole a little tighter to steady himself as the train let out a low screech and pulled to a stop. As he walked out of the car and up the stairs, he kept an eye out for Dana, who usually met him there.   
  
A tug on his sleeve made him look behind him, where Dana was, smiling at him mischievously. "Good morning." She said.  
  
"Morning." Terry smiled back and they started walking to school together.  
  
Dana entwined her arm with Terry's. "Sorry that you missed yesterday's game. The other team won."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Max told me."  
  
"When'd you talk to Max?"  
  
"Last night. I think we'd better have those guys practice more if we're ever gonna win any games, you know that?"  
  
"Mm." Dana nodded, seeming distracted as they walked up the school steps. "Guess so."  
  
"Hey guys, what's up?" The two turned to see Max walking up to them, waving.  
  
"Nothing. How about you?" Terry asked, running his free hand through his hair.  
  
"Just looking forward to that fun, fun Biology test first period. You ready for it?"  
  
He grimaced. "Ready as I always am."  
  
"Which is not at all." She grinned playfully, walking on. "I'll see you in class, alright?"   
  
"Okay, see you in a minute, Max." Terry turned back to Dana, smiling. "Hey, you got plans this weekend?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, why?"  
  
"Well, I thought that we should maybe catch a flick. Max recommended something called 'Forever More'. What do you think?"  
  
She smiled again as the warning bell rang. "Sounds good. Pick me up on Saturday night?"  
  
"Okay. What time?"   
  
"Movies usually start about 7:30, how about 7?"   
  
"Okay, Saturday night at 7, I'll pick you up." Bending down, he kissed her, and then the two split up, heading down the hall opposite ways.   
* * *  
  
The day went by relatively quickly. Terry's biology test went by better than expected, getting an 84 on it. He, Max and Dana went out to a fast food place for lunch, where Dana thanked her friend for the movie advice she'd bestowed upon her boyfriend. The rest of the school day passed uneventfully, and soon enough Terry was at an empty home again, finishing his homework, grabbing a bite and heading over to Wayne Manor.  
  
'Same old, same old....' He thought almost bitterly on the subway, stoically watching the passing buildings out of the glass windows.   
  
Night was just falling as he walked up the driveway, the gravel crunching loudly under his sneakers until Ace broke the silence with a friendly bark. Terry looked up to see him waiting at the gate, and a faint smile touched his lips. He went through, scratching the big dog behind the ears as he did. "Nice to know I've always got someone waiting for me." He remarked to no one as Ace followed him into the house.  
  
"How was your day?" Bruce asked as Terry came in.  
  
Terry shrugged carelessly. "Alright. Not too bad and not too great. I'm going out with Dana on Saturday, and I got a 84 on my science test."  
  
Bruce raised an eyebrow at Terry, who was taking off his jacket. "That's doesn't sound that bad."  
  
The young man shrugged again, tossing his raven-colored hair and taking off his shirt. "Yeah, I guess so. It just feels crappy, you know?"  
  
"Not particularly." Bruce sat down in the computer chair, hands on his cane in front of him. "What are you talking about?"  
  
He sighed as he stepped into the suit. "I dunno. I just feel that there's something wrong. Maybe it's because I haven't seen Mom for more than five minutes in, like, three weeks."  
  
The older man's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm sorry, Terry, but that's what happens when you do something like this."  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm not going to complain. Can we just drop it?" He fidgeted slightly, feeling uncomfortable.  
  
Bruce nodded slightly, sitting back, and Terry pulled on the mask. "I'll see you later." He said as he walked towards the jet.   
  
* * *  
"Man, I'm getting nervous." Terry said through the jet's COM.  
  
"Why's that?" Bruce asked back.   
  
"Nothing's happened all night. There should be some weirdo committing a crime and ready to kick my ass and give me some bruises about now."   
  
Bruce smiled. "Slow night for once. It's getting late, so why don't you do one more sweep and then head back?"  
  
"Sounds good." The younger man answered, turning the Batplane. As he headed over a large park, however, two figures below caught his eye. "Well, you can't expect nothing to happen, huh?" He asked himself as he dropped out.  
  
"Hey, quit it!" One of the figures, a teen girl with bright blue hair screeched at her companion, pushing him away. "I said I don't wanna!"  
  
"Why the hell not? Haven't we been together long enough?!" He yelled back, advancing on her.  
  
"No, damnitt!" He grabbed her slender arm and she pounded it ineffectively. "I said no, let me go!"  
  
The boy, probably in his late teen's, tall and lanky with uneven brown hair sneered, then pulled her close for a bruising kiss. She pulled away, trying to loosen her arm from his hand again and tried kicking him. As he growled and tugged her shirt, Batman suddenly slammed into him, forcing him to let go of the girl.   
  
"Let her go." He snapped. "She said no, didn't she?"  
  
The boy looked up at him from his place sprawled in the dirt to glare at the black figure standing protectively in front of his (former) girlfriend. "Fine." He spat, standing up and backing away. "Stupid bitch." He snarled as he stalked off.  
  
"Are you alright?" Batman asked, turning to the disheveled teenager.  
  
"Yeah, thanks." She replied, straightening her shirt. "He was such an ass. I don't know why I ever went out with him."  
  
"Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm gonna go home. It's right over there." She said, waving an arm in the vague direction of an apartment complex by the park, then started walking in that direction. "Thanks again." She said over her shoulder, then jogged towards the apartments.  
  
"Not too bad." Terry said to himself, looking up for the Batplane. "Let's just hope the night stays uneventful so I can get some sleep." The jet was only a few hundred yards off, hovering high in the air, so he began walking towards it.   
  
As he rounded a corner created by a wall of tall bushes, the first thing that caught his eye was a person crouched low to the ground. Below the figure was a dog, reminding him of the one he'd seen the night before, although this one was still alive. The person, whom Terry assumed was observing the stricken animal, looked up in his direction as he came up. They stood up quickly, running at full pace and away from Batman. "Hey, wait!" He called to the fleeing figure. "I'm not gonna hurt you! Do you know what happened to the dog?!" But they were gone.  
  
The new Batman momentarily considered following the figure, but the soft gasps of the animal that was now at his feet put down those thoughts. He crouched down, closely studying the poor dog. It was another large one, like the last one, and it's fur was matted down with thick blood that was coming from some wound he couldn't find through all the liquid. It whimpered plaintively, blood trickling from it's partially opened jaws as it saw Batman, and made a tired attempt to go to him before collapsing again in the dirt.   
  
Biting his lip in sympathy under the mask, Terry pulled the big dog into his lap, gently smoothing back the ears that flopped down against it's head. The dog made another distressed noise, almost snuggling against Terry as he continued to pet him, speaking soothingly. It hurt the teen to see the dog like this. He'd never owned one, because of living in apartments all his life, but he had always loved dogs and wanted one. A long gurgling noise issued from the depths of the dog's throat, and it let out a long whimper of pain. "All right, it's okay, boy." Terry's voice was gentle as he petted the dog, and as he watched it's eyes rolled back in it's head. The body convulsed, shivering, and then stopped moving.  
  
Terry was silent for a long moment, realizing that the dog was dead. He held it for another minute, the body still warm, trying to figure out what to do. He felt it wrong to just leave it there, or dump it somewhere, and finally came up with a reasonable solution. Touching an area underneath one of his pointed ears, he reestablished contact with Bruce. "Bruce?" he questioned, making sure the older man was listening.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" came the answer.   
  
"Um, I've got a dead dog in the Madison Memorial Park. Could you, like, have animal control come and pick him up?"  
  
It took several seconds for the response to come. "Alright, I can do that. Are you alright, Terry?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna head over to Max's after they pick up the dog, okay?"  
  
"Alright. Where are you in the park?"  
  
"Not too far from Sweet Lane, by a big tree."  
  
"Alright, I'll make the call." Bruce ended the transmission.   
* * *  
Hurray, the end of Chapter 2! I'm so happy! And I'm also really sorry that it took so long. Stuff happened like me having a ton of schoolwork, and then our comp crashed and we don't have one for the moment. So hopefully, next chapter will be up MUCH sooner. Thanks again for all the support! Please continue to Review, I love every one I get! 


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